Special Features
Expat life in Dubai
The UAE is the most moderate and liberal of the middle eastern states, but there are still some traditions and attitudes that expats should respect to avoid offending the local populace. The legal system is based upon civil law and predicate, but Shari’a law is still applied to certain aspects of family law, inheritance, and specific criminal acts including sodomy, homosexual acts and adultery. There is a strong liberalizing emphasis implemented by the UAE’s National Human Rights Committee, and as such the death penalty is not enforced for homosexuality and convicted expats are simply deported.Unmarried couples cannot live together.
Indigenous Emirati males prefer to wear a kandura, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton, and most Emirati women wear an abaya, a black over-garment covering most parts of the body. Unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia the Islamic dress code is not compulsory and western style dress is predominant thanks to the expatriate majority. Public appearance in western dress is tolerated as long as it remains modest, and even less conservative dress is permitted in appropriate places, such as bars or clubs. Recently there have been highly publicized instances of expats disregarded the local law and custom and getting arrested for indecent clothing, or lack thereof, at beaches.
Hotels, bars and restaurants in the metropolises will have licenses to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises. There are off-licenses that sell alcohol but you will require an official permit to be allowed to purchase. To obtain a license you can fill in an application in one of the stores which will then liaise with the police and authorities. Be warned – to complete the forms you will need a salary certificate, a housing contract, a signature from your employer, copies of your passport and visas, passport photos, plus a nominal fee. The license will limit you to a certain proportion of your salary, measured out on a form of rationing card, although stores will often be prepared to use unused rations from previous months.
Expats and visitors should keep an eye on the Islamic calendar to work out if there are any specific holy days coming up, particularly Ramadan. During Ramadan the faithful fast during the daylight hours until dusk, and the restaurants are required by law to remain closed during the day. The larger hotels may be permitted to keep one restaurant open, but as a general rule you are on your own, cuisine wise, until the sun sets. Expats who have eaten or drunk anything in public, including bottled water, have in the past been arrested and fined. Once the sun goes down, however, there is a decidedly festival atmosphere as iftar is celebrated and vast meals and menus are offered.
